Incantation (ESPER)
Definition Incantation is the ability to create a spell effect by commanding it to be so. An incanter casts his spells by repeatedly issuing a mantra which indicates his statement of intent. By repeating this mantra, the spell request he makes will begin immediately without the need to raise energy, and the effect continues until he stops the chant. The mantra may not indicate the magician pleading with any deity or spirit, but rather is the way he enforces his own will upon the universe. Because Incantation is so powerful, a magician can only cast them once per day of game time. Prerequisites The Magician characteristic. Tools Nothing is required but the ability to speak. If the magician cannot speak, he cannot cast an Incantation. Energy Energy for an incantation spell is raised by chanting over the course of time required to raise the spell points for the spell. The magician rolls the appropriate attribute (normally Willpower) plus their Incantation skill, and the resulting rank indicates the number of energy points they gain every turn. Duration is not required, unless the magician wants to program in a preset duration, because the spell will last as long as the magician continues the incantation. Energy is not required to cast an incantation spell if the spell is being read from a spellbook. The GM may allow the magician, through research, to find the spell effect he wishes to use in a spellbook. A magician using Incantation and a spellbook is not limited to the number of spells known as usual. As long as he is reading directly out of the spellbook, he may use any spell effect he can find. When doing this, the GM decides based on the outcome of the spell how long it will take to read the entire passage, but a good rule of thumb is to figure out how many energy points that spell would take and treat every turn as though the magician rolled a Good to raise energy during that round. Category:Magick Method The magician creates a mantra between 20 and 50 words in length and then begins chanting it. He immediately makes a Willpower roll, and that roll indicates the success rank of the spell over the course of the next round. If he ever fails the roll, the spell immediately stops working and the spell ends. If the magician wishes to cast a spell that has an ongoing effect rather than one that takes place at the moment of his roll, he must continue chanting until the spell can end. A magician using Incantation can't make a direct demand, such as "Set that guy on fire!" or "Kill that monster!" Incantation must be used as though asking for help without a definite idea as to how the request will be fulfilled. ''Example: Without using any game mechanics, a great example of an Incanter would be John Talbot. John was the son of a failed stage magician who learned real magick to carry on his father’s legacy. During playtesting, the group was in Hong Kong on a mission involving a secret underground cult devoted to an ancient Chinese dragon-god. In the headquarters of the businessman who had been funding the cult’s operation, the party was discovered by bodyguards and were chased into a secret room. As they tried to escape, John seemed to be mumbling to himself while the rest of the party were securing the door. One of his teammates listened in and heard him repeating over and over to himself:'' “Ancient spirits of wood and stone, whose homes were destroyed in the making of this tower representing the greed of man, come together now to seal this portal that those who wronged you and who mean us harm may not gain entry.” He continued his incantation until they were sure that the guards had arrived. However, there was no bashing, no sounds of the guards trying to break through. The spell had been answered… the door no longer even existed on the other side! While the party was safe for the time being, they had to find another way to escape the building. Category:Magick Category:ESPER